It’s been said that there is a time and a place for everything. That’s definitely the case with Rob Hermann, who is the new Greco-Roman Wrestling coach for the USOEC. In his own words, “Coming here to coach was the right fit at the right time.”

In some ways, this is a very different coaching environment for Hermann. For 27 years, he had been a coach for the U.S. Navy’s wrestling team where things were done differently. “It’s definitely a change. Here, the athletes have to balance school with their wrestling. It’s almost like they have a job and are training at the same time,” said Hermann.

No matter the program, the goal for Hermann has always been the same: getting the wrestlers to where they want to be. He has certainly reached this goal in the past. Hermann was named USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Coach of the Year in both 1992 and 1996. His career is full of notable accomplishments, including being head coach for the 1996 U.S. Olympic team at the Atlanta Games, where he led Brandon Paulson (52 kg), Dennis Hall (57 kg) and Matt Ghaffari (130 kg) to silver medals.

In 2000, Hermann was assistant coach of the U.S. Olympic team, which won three medals at the Sydney Games: Rulon Gardner (130 kg), Matt Lindland (76 kg) and Garrett Lowney (97 kg) won gold, silver and bronze, respectively.

Hermann is the fourth coach of the USOEC Greco-Roman team since its inception in 1999. His predecessor, Dennis Hall, was coached by Hermann, most notably during the 1996 Olympic Games. Hermann is optimistic about the team and plans to focus on recruiting. “We’ve got a good program here. The ‘product’ basically sells itself. It’s such a plus to get your education paid for. However, we’re a hidden secret, and we’ve got to spread the word.”